February 15, 2012....He's Home!!!!

Email #99…Monday, February 6, 2012

Hola,

well, i don't really want to take a lot of time here because of the emotional state i am in! (i'm a cry baby) i love this work. i love our Heavenly Father and His children. i cannot believe it is over (not quite yet!!). the Lord has blessed me time and time again... and i am so grateful that i could serve Him in this marvelous work. these past couple of weeks i have felt the love of our Savior so strong in my life... they are personal experiences and very close to me, but all i can say is that i know without a doubt that this work is true! i was not perfect, but i have gained an even stronger testimony of the atonement in my life and the lives of others. the gospel is true and it is what every one of us needs in our daily lives to feel the warmth and love of our Heavenly Father in this life and to have an assurance of what is to come in the next. Joseph Smith was a true prophet and restored the Church of Jesus Christ in this dispensation. i am truly grateful for my mission presidents and for how much they have helped me. i know that that are men truly called of God... and what wonderful men they are. i am going to miss this place... my home for the past two years. these are my friends and they will always be in my heart. i just said goodbye to Lota and i could barely contain the tears of happiness and sadness as i said bye... happiness to know that they are in good hands and are progressing in the gospel, but sadness to think that it is the last time i will see them in this life. but that's not true. i WILL return! no matter what sacrifice i have to make. i do miss my family though and i feel such joy to know that they were blessed for me being here serving the Lord. i hope that same spirit can continue in the family to keep us together. i love you and miss you. and i cannot wait to see you!

con mucho cariño,

elder jackson

Email #98...Monday, January 30, 2012

how time flies!

this week was a really good one. both of us have been blessed with good health and we had a ton to do! the work with the members is really helping a lot and we are seeing more and more success each week. i am really loving it here! we met this woman that reminds me so much of Aunt Paula.... she has the same look in her eyes and even speaks the same, only with a minor language change :) . but it is really strange how similar she is to Aunt Paula. she is a great investigator and very receptive. she comes from an Evangelical background, but really loves the way we are. she said that she always throws out any type of missionary that comes by, but when we talked to her, she saw something different in our eyes. she saw that we had a light about us. it was a great experience and hopefully we can get her to progress!

we also had consejo today for the zone leaders. even though it was seven and a half hours long, i felt really edified when President spoke... the most edified i have felt in a long time! he taught us about revelation and how to receive it. it was a great "capacitation" (not sure what he means here...something in spanish?) and i am really excited to put it to practice. i love this work and love it here! i do not want to leave, but can't wait to see you all! love you and have a great week!

love elder jackson,

Email #97...Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Hola...

i wish i could really make these weeks go by slower... it's ridiculous how many things we have to do... and how little time we have! and i only have so little time left to enjoy! we had a good week though. we could actually get out and walk! i really took it for granted.... being in a wheel chair, we always had to find a route suitable for the wheelchair, but now i can walk across the grass, go down steps and deeper curbs! what a blessing it is to be able to walk again!!.this past little bit we have been really focusing on working with the members. even though it makes our contacts low, it's more effective using the members. so, we have been taking time to visit them and share with them a program that the area presidency developed here in Chile. it's amazing how it works and we have even used it to set a baptismal date (Sidney and Sonia). the program talks a little about what types of people there are. there's the person that will get baptized no matter who comes and teaches them, and then there´s the type that is just not ready to accept the gospel. but we over look one other type of person. the person that goes to a another church and doesn't realize that they are missing something in their lives... that if they could come to understand the gospel clearly, they would accept it. after that introduction, the "plan" gives an example of how you can invite a friend or neighbor to listen to the missionaries. it explains clearly what you can say about the gospel without saying too much. it's great...it works and brings in the spirit! sometimes as members we just say too much about things that aren't the most important parts of the gospel. what is the most important is that through the gospel, we can receive God's greatest gift here on the earth, the gift of the Holy Ghost...and after this life, eternal life. this program has truly helped me understand much more of what is important..

we had the opportunity to go to Victoria this week for a little bit. it was great to see some friends and to know that they were actually happy to see me. i am truly grateful for the wonderful friends that i have made here, i will surely miss them.... well i love you all and hope you have a great week!

love elder jackson

Email #96...Monday, January 16, 2012

It's a miracle! i can walk! my foot stopped hurting about Thursday night but i stayed in the wheelchair till Sunday. it was funny, on Sunday we took some time in priesthood and soc soc to invite the members to give references. anyway, my comp pushed me up to the front and when we got to the step i "dramatically" stood up. everyone cheered, it was hilarious! so finally i can get back into the rhythm of things... today was my first day of walking though and i'm kind of scared. i understand it will be weak. both feet were sore today from walking, but my right foot was throbbing a little more than the left. i hope it's just from not walking for two weeks and doesn't have anything to do with the fracture.

it was such a great... but very rushed experience today. president gave me permission to visit Cautin to say good bye. the only thing was we had to be back by six. well... it takes over four hours to get there and we had to go to the bus terminal, not knowing what time buses left. we ended up getting up at five and to the terminal at quarter till. we left and got to Cautin at 11, took a micro to the bishops and arrived there at 11:45. we visited for about 30 minutes, then visited an old investigator that is still not baptized, and then visited the mamita. last, we went to the Mapuche market to buy souvenirs and back to the terminal at 2. needless to say it was a very... very rushed despedido, but it was very well worth it. i will really miss those families and how wonderfully they treated me. i love the gospel. i love the mission work. it has changed my life so much in these past two years... i don't know what i would do if i didn't have it in my life. the church is true! i love you all... have a great week! mom i will answer your questions tomorrow and send pictures. and i'm sorry, but i spent quite a bit today.. the trip was expensive just for the bus, but the ATM only let me take out 160. can you just make sure there's still money in my account ? i will try not to spend it, i just want to get a couple more things.... so yeah. i love you!

elder jackson

Email #95...Monday, January 9, 2012

wow... what a week! this is the second time i tried emailing you and the
computer restarted. let's see if it works this time... after finding
out that i had been walking on a fractured foot for two weeks, the
doctor told me i had to stay off it for two weeks and to take these
medications. well... we went and got a wheelchair, but due to the
conditions of the roads/sidewalks, let's just say they aren't made for
wheelchairs...it isn't working. and, the vibrations and banging around of the
chair was really irritating my foot. the doctor told me again that it would be better
if i stayed off it as much as possible. so we have been pretty much home-bound
this past week. i feel horrible for Elder Mendenhall because he can't do
much, but this week we have a bunch of people signed up to go with
him. on the bright side, it will make my goal a lot easier. i made a
goal to read the Book of Mormon before i left, cover to cover. so i
have plenty of time, the only down side is the medication they give me
knocks me out and makes me pretty dizzy so that has made it a little
more difficult to read. one great thing that happened this week though is that
Sidney got the Priesthood! that family strengthens my testimony every
time we visit them. i remember how tough he was and the crazy questions
he asked in the beginning, but now that he is converted, it was worth it! he
is an amazing man and will definitely be a bishop one day. Sonia is
just as great! we are still working with Carlos.... he has been a
little stubborn and is always with his friends so it makes it hard to
teach him. all in all, it has been a tough week. i really want to
finish strong, but i want to take care of my body as well. it just
puts me in a tough spot. i hope and pray that this week will be the
last of my problems and that i can just focus on the work. please pray
for our investigators... seeing that we haven't been able to meet with
them. we don't want it to stop their progress! i love you all and hope
you have a great week!

just some pictures of the consejo and the food that we make in the
house when we get bored. and mom the church pays for the medications
and what not. you don't have to worry about anything. i haven't used my
card yet, but i want to buy some stuff before i leave. oh and i'm still
thinking about what i want to do when i get home, i'll let you know next
week. love you! chao


elder jackson

Email #94...Monday January 2, 2012

happy new year!

it's hard to believe that another year has gone by! i hope you had a good one. i'll tell you how this weekend went,... i'm falling apart! my foot pain continues... and, well my new year's was pretty weird. i started off sick! i felt horrible all Saturday and Sunday and the morning of the first i was throwing up... i am now feeling a little better. i still haven't eaten though. i went to the doctor today for my foot, she seemed a little worried that the meds she had given me last week didn't help much, so i went to get an x-ray today and tomorrow we will see what is wrong with my foot... hopefully.?! but i am supposed to be off it for 5 to 6 days... can't really do that so we are going to find a wheel chair and my comp, Elder Mendenhall will be pushing me for these next couple days. oh... and we found out that Mendenhall will be "killing" me (he will be my last comp)!

on a higher note, we had consejo this last week. it was awesome because we went to an area a little past Victoria called llaima... there is a member that lives out there, in the campo, that let us go to her place for the meeting. after the consejo we went to the volcano llaima. it was gorgeous and there was a lake right under it that we went to. over all it was great, but it sure was a long day. we started at five in the morning and didn't get home until 230 in the morning the next day!!

well that's really how my week went... ha. kind of a long one, but not an effective one. hopefully my foot will feel better and maybe...just maybe, people will let us in because i am in a wheel chair, ha. to answer the questions. i do remember Vayla.... what a small world! (Wade and I ran into her in Monticello, she married a local boy). and, i know Elder Sondregger (a Monticello boy serving in the Concepcion Mission). for work when i get home, i just want to work my tail off. if dad has work for me i would love to work with him...i just question whether i would be a good enough worker. but if he wants me to, i would love to do doors. i'm just trying to find the best way to make the most i can, i'm guessing i'll need to work two jobs, so we will see. i've heard you can make more working in Alaska ... or on an oil rig.

well i love you all... have a great week!
elder jackson